[seibelj]

Please don't down vote this comment. He is making a salient point about why it might not be a good idea to quit at such an early stage. Whether it was the right decision for Contract Beast or not, he is trying to provide a counterpoint to the idea of giving up by providing an alternative anecdote. Some people in a similar situation could use the boost.

[mpbm]

Yeah, but Tim already addressed that scenario when he said that nobody but him had quit their job or lost any money yet. The PayPal team was already well into being a committed startup.

[funkyy]

While your comment is right from my position (I often help startups to solve them problems) thanks for using "salient" - new really nice word goes right in to my dictionary.

[LionessLover]

The "salient point" as you put it suffers from a huge acute case of selection bias and survivorship bias, two deadly diseases that kill the argument immediately after it's born.

[CPLX]

Indeed. Not to mention the Internet was basically a wide open green field to build companies on in those days. There is no shortage of B2B focused web-based software in 2016.

[cft]

I agree with the huge difference between 1998 and 2016 decisions. Soon it will be like starting a car company in 1930s: was possible in 1905, became impossible in 1930

[TotallyHuman]

Yeah, just like with Tesla...

[clickbyclick]

Changing behavior is hard, many startups try only a select few can. Adjusting behavior an easier but less rewarding outcome.